Medbasin : a Mediterranean rainfall-runoff software package

A deterministic conceptual rainfall-runoff simulation model is proposed for the Mediterranean basins. The model is based on the equations describing the processes of the hydrological cycle used by MERO, a model proposed by FAO. The new software package called Medbasin is using an accounting technique in which the inputs are the daily values of precipitation and potential evapotranspiration and the outputs are the daily runoff and water storage in the soil. The paper describes the background of the model and proposes methods for its calibration and verification. The model’s performance is considered satisfactory based on a number of applications in hydrological basins in the Mediterranean region.